What's My Line (Part 2)

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Spike kidnaps Angel for use in a ritual to restore Drusilla's sanity, while Buffy contends with the fact that there's a new Slayer in town in the form of Kendra, the girl called after Buffy died at the hands of the Master.

Previous: What's My Line (Part 1)

Into every generation there is a chosen one, one girl to stand alone in her fight against the darkness, one girl to be called as the Slayer, and that girl is Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar). That girl is also Kendra (Bianca Lawson), who was charged with beating back the forces of evil after Buffy's death, and suddenly Buffy's purpose in life, the reason for which she can plan no future, is taken away. Not only can Buffy expect her life to be cut short, but the very reason for which she will die young now belongs to someone else, and her place in the world is no longer certain.

Kendra takes issues with Buffy's tactics, notably the fact that people other than Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) know of her identity as Slayer, stating that "the Slayer must work in secret, for security," something that she learned from the Slayer Handbook, which she herself has read cover to cover. Kendra's role as Slayer is, in fact, her entire life, as her people take the calling very seriously, her parents even having given her up to her Watcher when she was younger, so young that she no longer remembers them or even her last name. Kendra is very technically good as the Slayer, but Buffy tells her that while her technique is flawless, she lacks the imagination and fire needed to really win in a fight; Kendra shoots back that Angel (David Boreanaz), as a vampire, should die, alluding to the fact that she had left him to said fate, and though they disagree on this point, they still come together to get the job done. Both having learned from the other, Kendra returns home understanding the power of harnessing her anger, but tells Buffy that "[she] talk[s] about slaying like it's a job, [but] it's not. It's who [she is]." Both girls have a claim on what it is to be the Slayer, and both have opposing views on how to go about it, but both are shown to be equally right and wrong in their approaches, and it's an interesting comparison that they display.

Giles discusses that Kendra was activated after Buffy drowned during the events of "Prophecy Girl," and his focus on the new Slayer causes Buffy to worry that he might prefer Kendra's studious approach to the job. Even though it's a role that she's hesitant to take, and openly loathes at times, Buffy is still very protective of her calling, and the rivalry between she and Kendra is about more than proving who the better slayer is, but about a sense of belonging to the title. Kendra is not exempt from contest, either, stating that "[she's] an expert in all weapons" moments before misfiring a crossbow and shooting a lamp. Despite their differences the two of them prove a capable team in their fight against Spike (James Marsters) and his crew, and both learn that they're better when together than they are apart.

It's really strange that the Watcher's Council wouldn't have informed Giles about another Slayer having been called, especially since they would have been left to assume that Giles' charge had been killed and he would likely be expecting a recall to London. It's equally strange that Buffy would not have known about the Slayer Handbook, as Giles was not her first Watcher, despite his claims that he saw no point in providing her with one. The role of the Watcher's Council has not yet been made clear, but their lack of involvement here suggests that they are either incredibly disorganized or very incompetent.

Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) spend a great deal of time trapped in Buffy's basement as Norman (Kelly Connell) keeps trying to get in, leading to a number of heated arguments between the two teens. Out of nowhere the two of them share a passionate kiss, and it's incredibly forced here, feeling very much like a television cliché. Later, the two of them discuss what had happened, culminating in yet another argument that ends once more with them kissing, and their relationship just feels incredibly inauthentic that it questions the nature of Cordelia's very character.

The chemistry between Seth Green (Oz) and Hannigan continues to dazzle as they discuss, in what is apparently an ad-libbed sequence, the nature of animal crackers. Lawson's accent as Kendra is questionable, though she and Gellar play off of one another very well here, and the fault likely lies with the dialect coach.

Director David Solomon experiences some highs and lows in this episode, one of the lows being the effect used to show the worm crawling across Norman's face and into his ear, which is ridiculously stupid. Equally stupid is the choice to have Norman constantly turning into worms in order to go under doors when he could simply have just opened the door as a human; his actions here lead directly to his death and it makes no sense. Given the information we learn about Kendra throughout the narrative, it seems strange that she's wearing so much makeup, as she really has no use for it, and that she has so much jewelry, as it likely would interfere with her tactical movement. As to the better portions of the episode, the sequence where Patrice (Spice Williams) shoots at Buffy, and actually shoots Oz, during the career fair is well done, as is the ending where Drusilla (Juliet Landau) emerges from the wreckage of the church stronger than ever before, carrying a now weakened Spike, which encourages a great number of possibilities for the future.

Written by Marti Noxon, the main stories in this episode focus on the relationships between the characters, notably that of Buffy and Kendra, and Spike and Angel. Buffy is made to feel insecure due to Kendra having been sent to Sunnydale by her Watcher, who claimed that Kendra was needed to stop the rise of a dark power in the town, implying that Buffy on her own is not enough to do so. Angel, on the other hand, is needed by Spike for a ritual to restore Drusilla's health, a ritual that, as Giles reveals, will kill Angel in the process; knowing this, Angel tries to antagonize Spike into killing him early, effectively ruining the ritual before it begins, but proves unable to trump his former ally and remains the subject of torture for Drusilla until the time that he's needed. Noxon has a great grasp on who these characters are, and she proves capable having these people interact with one another in a fairly consistent manner, outside of the random pairing of Cordelia and Xander.

With Drusilla seemingly returned to her full strength, and Spike being the one who is weakened, there should be an interesting shift in the power of evil in Sunnydale, and Drusilla seems as though she may be far more vicious toward Buffy than Spike ever was. Though I seriously doubt they will ever reappear within the series, the Order of Taraka should, in theory, keep coming after Buffy until they have killed her, which could very likely take a large amount of focus of the remainder of the series.

Next: Ted